| Abstract: | "I have come to question the logical defensibility of any concept of a comparative psychology. My doubts stem in part from the conviction that Homo sapiens is, in some ways, a truly unique species." A highly developed learning capacity is a distinctive characteristic of the human species. 2 desiderata seem obvious to build a "comparative science of behavior": (a) behavior selected for examination should be "natural" to the species and (b) the kinds of behavior chosen for analysis should be as widely distributed as possible, phylogenetically speaking. Major headings are: Species-Specific Behavior, Plan of Attack, Determinants of Behavior (Historical Determinants, Indirect Environmental Determinants, Direct Environmental Determinants, Organismic Determinants), and Conclusions. The proposed "broadening of our orientation would facilitate and encourage rich interspecific comparisons and thus give rise to a truly comparative body of knowledge pertaining to behavior." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
